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Australia's National Women's Basketball Team

Lauren Jackson as hungry as ever to win titles

November 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Lauren Jackson

Lauren Jackson has already done enough on the basketball court in her life to ensure she’ll be regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game. She spent some time chatting to FIBA about her career and past, present and future.

She has since had a serious Achilles and hip injuries, and both required operations.

Rest assured, Jackson remains among the elite players in the game.

The London Games are less than a year away and Jackson has this message for her fans everywhere.

“I think going into the summer physically,” she said, “I’ll be the best I’ve ever been at the Olympics.”

Jackson, who recently joined Spanish and EuroLeague Women outfit Ros Casares, took time out of her schedule to talk to FIBA.com about growing up in a basketball household, overcoming injuries and being at her best for the London Olympics.

FIBA: Lauren, you get around. You seem to have played everywhere. This is another stop, in Valencia, on your amazing journey.
Jackson: I know, hopefully a good one. I think we’ve got a lot of potential. I’m looking forward to seeing how the season progresses and I’m feeling pretty confident.

FIBA: That was quite a significant moment you had a few weeks ago back home in Albury when they named the stadium after you. Is that where you took your first steps in basketball?
Jackson: Yes it was. My mum (Maree Jackson) had me and then two weeks later started playing again, which in this day is impossible. You just can’t do that. It was at that stadium and I played my first games there. I got chicken pox in that stadium. I caught it from a boys team my dad (Gary) was coaching. It’s been my life and I love the sport, so, it was a great honor and I can’t wait to move back there and I guess create my own legacy in Albury.

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In Conversation with Opals Coach, Carrie Graf

November 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Carrie Graf

A legendary basketball coach who has raised her team to victory and placed them at the heart of the community, Carrie Graf talks about her life, inspirations and career.

She’s the coach of Canberra’s most successful sporting team and has made a career out of smashing down gender barriers but Carrie Graf says she has actually been battling for women’s rights since an unusually early age.

“I remember when I was in grade two and I had a fight every morning with my mother: don’t make me wear a dress so it gets caught on the fence, it gets caught on the trees, the boys look up my dress when I’m on the monkey bars,” the coach of the Canberra Capitals women’s basketball team told Alex Sloan on the Canberra Conversation Hour.

“So we came to an agreement, I was a good negotiator from a young age, and so she said, ‘All right, well you have to wear a dress three times and then you can wear shorts or pants for two.’ And that lasted for a term and then it was three/two and then by grade three I never wore a dress again to school. It wasn’t functional for my lifestyle.”

As a child, Graf railed against the boys’ explanation that she couldn’t do something because she was a girl.

Read more over at the ABC or listen to the full interview: Carrie Graf talks to Alex Sloan on the Canberra Conversations Hour

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Belinda Snell hoping to continue winning run with Sydney Flames in WNBL

October 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Belinda Snell

She is a bone fide superstar but so unassuming is Belinda Snell that her return to play in the Women’s National Basketball League has attracted little attention outside her sport.

But the impact she has had on her team, the Sydney Uni Flames, has been sensational as her teammates have all stepped up to a 4-0 winning start to the season under head coach Karen Dalton.

The Flames will need to be at their best tonight  when they host Bendigo Spirit at the Sydney University sports and aquatic centre from 7pm.

Spirit have a tremendous starting line-up including new Opals such as Tess Madgen and their point guard Kristi Harrower who has perhaps the highest basketball IQ on the Opals roster.

Penny Taylor and Lauren Jackson are phenomenal talents on Australia’s team but when Russia looked like getting away with the world championship final in Brazil in 2006 it was the backcourt schemers and scavengers, Harrower and Snell, who bravely and skilfully got the Opals back in the game to win the world crown for the first and only time in our history.

Read the rest at the Daily Telegraph.

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Lauren Jackson’s ‘perfect’ day in Albury

October 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Lauren Jackson

NERVOUS. Emotional. Excited.

Basketball superstar Lauren Jackson was all these and more at the renaming of the Albury Sports Stadium in her honour on Saturday.

Following comments by Albury mayor Alice Glachan, Basketball Australia chief Larry Sengstock and NSW Minister for Sport and Recreation Graham Annesley, Jackson unfurled a drape on new signage for the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre.

She then led fans into the stadium where an interactive display celebrating her myriad awards, titles and achievements, was also unveiled.

Surrounded by family and friends, including 900 admiring junior players competing in the NSW Catholic Primary Schools Championships, Jackson spoke about her desire to return to Albury next year and use the regional town as a base, as she continues to play basketball between America and Australia.

Jackson said she couldn’t have asked for “a more perfect day.”

“I almost started crying, and I’m not much of a crier, so I was very emotional,” Jackson said.

“To have my family and friends and people I care about here and love the most, I feel honoured I got to celebrate with them and the people of Albury.

“I still can’t believe it, oh my gosh, it’s just total disbelief.

Read more at The Border Mail.

And even more on the Basketball Australia website including the full audio of Lauren’s acceptance speech.

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Liz Cambage queen of the court for a day

October 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Liz Cambage

FRESH from meeting the queen, Liz Cambage put in a royal performance as the Bulleen Boomers sent an ominous warning to the WNBL.

Rebuilt over the off-season after mass retirements and departures, the defending champion Boomers showed little sentiment or problem in dismissing the West Coast Waves 104-79 at the Veneto Club.

Introduced to Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Canberra on Friday night, Cambage was still on a high as she went to work against the Waves, hitting a game-high 27 points on 10-13 shooting in exactly 29 minutes of action.

Forward Rachel Jarry (22 points, nine rebounds, five assists) was at her all-round best for the Boomers (2-1) as they led 61-41 at the half and cruised home to an easy win to set themselves for Friday’s WNBL derby against the Dandenong Rangers.

Read more at the Herald Sun.

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We are amused by her highness

October 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Liz Cambage. Photo by Rob Sheeley

FEW people overshadow the Queen. But all Elizabeth Cambage had to do was stand next to her.

At just over 2m, the Aussie basketballer towered over the 1.6m monarch who had to look skywards to say hello.

The Queen met Elizabeth after a civic reception at Parliament House during her Australian tour and immediately saw the funny side.

“Oh,” exclaimed the Queen when she came across Elizabeth in the foyer of Parliament House building after a civic reception, “you must be a basketball player”. “Yes, I am,” replied Elizabeth as, having no other choice, she made a very deep curtsy. Then she asked the Queen, with a cheeky grin: “What gave it away?”

“You are very tall,’ said the Queen, looking up to make the comment. “That must be an advantage.”

“It is a bit,” said Elizabeth.

A clearly amazed Queen turned to Prince Philip, who was standing nearby. “This is an Australian basketball player,” she said, gesturing towards the sportswoman. The Duke replied: “Yes, that would be right.”

Read more at Adelaide Now.

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Liz Cambage still finding her feet after Shock debut

October 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Liz Cambage. Photo by Rob Sheeley

LIZ Cambage is no stranger to attention. At 203 centimetres tall – that’s six feet, seven inches – people have stared up at her most of her life. She took the fame that came in April after she was the second draft pick in the world’s most prestigious basketball competition, the American Women’s National Basketball Association, in her formidable stride.

The young Australian made a statement in her first game for her new team, Oklahoma’s Tulsa Shock, finishing the match as the Shock’s highest scorer with 18 points. But, as Tulsa suffered a 20-game losing streak that made history as the WNBA’s worst, Cambage’s easy stride faltered.

The coach who had selected her as his first choice in the rookie draft quit the club, making way for a new leader who did not rate her.

Read more at SMH Sport.
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Lauren Jackson commits to Canberra Capitals

October 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Lauren Jackson

Australia’s best ever female basketballer Lauren Jackson will play with the Canberra TransACT Capitals in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) in seasons 2012/13, 2014/15 and 2015/16, in a major coup for the Caps & the Nation’s Capital City announced in Canberra today.

Jackson, the most decorated Australian basketballer of the current era, will play three of the next five WNBL seasons for the Capitals in an agreement which brings together major support from the ACT Government and local utilities organisations ActewAGL, Actew Corporation and TransACT Communications.

The deal heralds Jackson’s return to home soil and follows an earlier announcement to bypass a WNBA season and spend the lead up to the London 2012 Olympics in Australia. The jet setting Jackson, having just completed a season with Seattle Storm (Women’s National Basketball Association), now heads to the lucrative Spanish League for a season with Ros Casares Valencia, after which the London 2012 preparations take centre court.

Jackson said the timing was right for her return. “I’m thrilled with the certainty this provides me and even more excited about continuing to play a major part in Australian basketball in the short term.” “I want to be on hand and help drive the continued success of this wonderful game in Canberra and Australia.”

Michael Costello, Chief Executive Officer of ActewAGL was only too pleased to galvanise the corporate support needed to attract Jackson back to Canberra. “Lauren has proven she’s so much more than just the greatest female basketballer of our time.” “We appreciate what securing such an outstanding talent means, both on and off court and we’ll be watching with great pride as the impact of Lauren’s presence takes hold.”

Basketball ACT President Mark White was succinct in his praise for Jackson. “Lauren is the best there is and securing her services for three of the next five seasons will have enormous benefits for everyone associated with the game.”

“From the youngsters playing in our Junior competitions, right through to Lauren’s Capitals team mates, we’re excited about what the future holds. ”

Via WNBL.

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Jenni Screen patching career back together after knee injury

October 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

patching career back together after knee injury

Nine days before returning to the Women’s National Basketball League with Adelaide Lightning, Newcastle Olympian Jenni Screen is still taking baby steps.Back in Australia after five seasons in Italy, the 29-year-old shooting guard and defensive terrier has been dogged for the past year by a career-threatening injury to her right knee.

Screen resumed full training only two weeks ago after surgery last December and does not expect to be anywhere near her best until mid-season.

For now she just wants to be pain-free and enjoy playing the game again.

The knee injury, similar to the condition that sidelined Newcastle Jets marquee signing Jason Culina for most of this year, has ended Screen’s European sojourn but she was confident of making a significant contribution for Adelaide this season.

Screen, omitted from Australia’s team at last year’s world championships, has not given up hope of breaking back into the Opals for the London Olympics next year but is looking no further than the Lightning’s season opener against West Coast on October 8.

‘‘I’ve had a pretty tumultuous year,’’ Screen said. ‘‘I did my ankle really badly and was out for three months, then three weeks later did some chondral surface damage to the bone in my knee, which has been career-threatening.

‘‘For four months I couldn’t run because it kept swelling, so I had to take a huge break from the game and I really didn’t touch a ball for four months.’’

Screen was a member of Australia’s world title-winning team in Brazil in 2006 then brought home a silver medal from her first Olympics in Beijing two years later.

She left Adelaide after the 2005-06 WNBL season and played four years at Parma, then a handful of games for Venice last season between rehab on her ankle and knee.

‘‘I knew I couldn’t withstand the load of Europe, so I spoke to Adelaide and asked if they had a position because, apart from AIS, they’re the only team I’ve played for,’’ she said.

‘‘Every day is still a challenge trying to find out what I can and can’t do and how much I can train … but it’s nice to finally be back on the court.

‘I missed out on the Opals’ world championship team last year and that was a difficult process in itself but now I’m just focusing on playing again.’’ Initially diagnosed in Italy with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Screen flew to Melbourne for surgery but was told she had cracked the surface of the end of her femur.

‘‘At the time I thought that was good but it turned out to be more than six months’ recovery anyway,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s very difficult when you haven’t got those goals you can meet. With this type of injury, one day can be very good but I can wake up the next day and it feels crap and I don’t know why, so working through that frustration and trying to process that has been difficult.’’

Screen will play alongside fellow Newcastle junior and long-time Opals teammate Suzy Batkovic on a revamped Adelaide roster this summer but expects to play only limited minutes as she finds her feet.

Via The Herald

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